1. KELLER
WILLIAMS
R E A LT Y
101
Getting Started
on Twitter
Brought to you by Keller Williams Realty

2. K E L L E R W I L L I A M S R E A LT Y P R E S E N T S : 101
“What are you doing?”
This simple question has been the basis for the phenomenon known as Twitter.
A Website in the social networking community, Twitter is often referred to as
a micro-blogging platform. Think of it as a small blog where you have only
140 characters to make your point. On the Website or through various Twitter
applications, you update what you are doing by posting text or links to articles,
videos and photos.
There are many reasons to join in the conversation on Twitter. It has the
power to drive traffic to your blog, help you stay on top of current trends, build
relationships, answer and ask questions, as well as share local news and learn
from others with similar interests. Essentially, Twitter gives you the opportunity
to communicate directly with potential clients and establish your real estate
expertise.
In this guide, you’ll learn about
Twitter and how to do the following:
1. Build your image
2. Build your network
Twitter Quick Facts: www.twitter.com/kwri
Twitter’s Website attracted a total of 44.5 million unique visitors
worldwide in June 2009, according to comScore.
Half of Twitter users use applications like TweetDeck, not the Website to
read and publish tweets.
Research showed that at one point more than 600,000 people joined
Twitter every day.
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3. K E L L E R W I L L I A M S R E A LT Y P R E S E N T S : 101
1. Getting Started on Twitter
A. How to create and edit your Twitter account
Go to (www.twitter.com), click on
“Sign Up Now,” and enter in your
contact information and create
your username.
When choosing a username, make
sure you choose something that you
want to continue to use, because
this will also be your customized URL
(www.twitter.com/your username) to direct people to Twitter.
B. Edit your settings
When you are logged in, click on “Settings”
along the top tab to edit your photo, Website
and profile.
When you add a photo, keep in mind it is
best to choose one that is professional and
that you use on other sites like Facebook, to
create a consistent image. Once you have
uploaded your photo, it is time to create your
bio. Twitter only provides 160 characters for
your bio, so choose wisely. This is what most
people looking at your page will see about
you, so think about the audience you are
trying to reach.
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4. K E L L E R W I L L I A M S R E A LT Y P R E S E N T S : 101
C. Learn Twitter lingo
Tweet: Your 140-character update
Follow: When you want to add
someone to your network to see @benjaminbach
their updates, you “follow” them.
People who want to see your updates
will “follow” you. @mattthomson
Re-tweet (RT): When you come across a tweet you like, find interesting or
want to share with your network, you re-tweet it. Proper re-tweet etiquette is
to say “RT @username: Their message” or use the re-tweet feature.
Hashtag: When you want to participate in a specific conversation or event,
include in your tweet “#message topic.” For example, KWRI used #kwmc in
our tweets during Mega Camp.
Trending Topic: Twitter displays the top 10 mentioned words included in the
most tweets that moment. Popular ones are TV shows, newly released movies,
celebrity news, social media news and political hot-button issues.
@reply: When you see a tweet that you want to respond to, type
“@their username” and your reply.
Direct Message (DM): This is a message you send or receive directly to or
from a person. It is not public for everyone to see; it is private between you
and the sender or receiver.
D. Privacy settings
Twitter offers two options for privacy settings: protected or not protected.
Protected means no one can view your tweets unless you accept that
individual as a follower. Not protected means that anyone can see your tweets
and can be your follower.
Note that your account is automatically “Not Protected,” so to change this, go
to “Settings,” then click on “Account.” To make your tweets protected, click on
the box named, “Protect My Tweets” at the bottom of the page.
We recommend you keep your profile public so that current and potential
clients can see your updates.
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5. K E L L E R W I L L I A M S R E A LT Y P R E S E N T S : 101
E. Customize your Twitter background
Customizing your Twitter background is a great
way to brand your page and stand out from the
crowd. There are many options for customization:
download a free KW-branded image on mykw.
kw.com (go to the Marketing tab, then Social Media);
purchase one from Twitter Backgrounds
(www.twitterbackgrounds.com); or download
a free background from Twitter Image
(www.twitterimage.com).
How do you change your background on Twitter?
Once you log in to your Twitter account, go to “Settings,” then “Design,” then
“Change background image.” Next, click on ”Browse,” then select the file you
want to use and save.
2. How to Use Twitter Day-to-Day
A. Tweet regularly and engage your followers
There are a variety of ways to communicate on Twitter: tweet, reply, re-tweet
and direct message. You can also participate with a comment on a trending
topic by adding a hashtag and keyword to your tweet.
When you tweet, share valuable information you come across. Suggestions of
things to tweet about are as follows:
Interesting articles
Facts or statistics
Your business
Local events or news
A link to a new listing on your Website
A new post on your blog
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6. K E L L E R W I L L I A M S R E A LT Y P R E S E N T S : 101
Remember, just as with all social media avenues, Twitter is about being a part
of the conversation, so it is great to also add in personal tweets (a movie you
saw and if/why you liked it; asking a question, for example, where is your
favorite burger spot in your city). Most of all, you will share information without
being overly self-promoting. Always remember to focus on quality.
Want to see what the public will see when they visit your page? Log in and click on “Profile.”
Want to see the tweets of people you follow? Log in and click on “Home.”
B. How to build a following on Twitter
Follow others
A great way to start your following on Twitter is to see if anyone you
know is on it. To do that, the first thing you need to do is log in to
Twitter and click on “Find People.”
Below are several ways to find someone on Twitter:
“Find on Twitter” – where you enter a first name, last name,
Twitter username or business name
“Find on Other Networks” – where you enter in your email,
like AOL or Gmail, to find your
contacts quickly
“Invite by Email” – where you can invite
your friends or coworkers to join Twitter
“Suggested Users” – where you view an
auto-populated list of people and
companies to follow
You can also use the “Search” feature to find a
person by name or anyone who mentions “real estate” or “Keller Williams” in
their bio. Once you find people you want to follow, click “Follow” when viewing
their profile to get their tweets to dislay on your home page. Note that they
will be notified when you click “Follow.”
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7. K E L L E R W I L L I A M S R E A LT Y P R E S E N T S : 101
How to search
Twitter search is a great way to find keywords, monitor your competitors
and even catch a conference. When you log in to Twitter, you will see the top
trending topics on your home page on the right-hand side.
C. Twitter lists
Twitter lists allow users to organize the people you follow into groups. This
allows you to filter tweets from your Twitter stream to just view these tweets.
People can subscribe to follow your lists, or you can follow theirs.
How to create a list:
Go to your home page, and on the right-hand side under the search bar, you will see the area
to manage your lists. Create a list by clicking on “New List” and then then give a name and
description. You will also have the option to make the list public, so that others may follow it,
or private, so no one can access it.
Next, add people or companies to your newly created list. To do this, you can either search
for a username or company name, or use your follower list. You do not have to be following
someone to add them to a list.
If someone has added you, it will show up under your bio (with the number) as “Listed” –
note that if someone has added you to a private list, it will not show up. If you add someone
to your list publicly, it will notify them by adding it to their list count. You can click on “Listed”
to see who has added you to the list and the list’s name, along with whom else is on it.
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8. K E L L E R W I L L I A M S R E A LT Y P R E S E N T S : 101
3. Tools to enhance your Twitter experience
There are many tools to enhance your Twitter experience, like Tweetdeck, a
desktop application, or Twitpic, which allows you to easily share photos on
Twitter.
Popular Twitter tools:
Desktop applications: TweetDeck, Seesmic
Mobile applications: Tweetie, TweetDeck
Web sites: Tweetmondo, Twellow
Before using Websites that are not affiliated with Twitter, do your research,
because on many you must enter in your Twitter username and password to
access the site. You always want to ensure that the site is legitimate when
doing so. And read the fine print! Some Websites, like Tweetmondo, send out
a tweet from your account upon registration promoting their site.
4. Where to find Keller Williams Realty on Twitter
KWRI:
www.twitter.com/kwri
Jay Papasan, vice president of publishing and executive editor:
www.twitter.com/jaypapasan
Cary Sylvester, executive director of technology:
www.twitter.com/carysylvester
Bryon Ellington, chief products officer:
www.twitter.com/bryonellington
Ellen Marks, director of marketing and communications:
www.twitter.com/emarks
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